Epiphany
by PerpetualOtaku
Summary: Fluff and blooming affection runs rampant in this collection of 100 themes. Theme 6: Obsession. "So..." the tipsy maiden leaned in close, oozing sexual innuendo, and carrying a complacent countenance, "I see that glazed look in your eyes Lucy." After a moment of letting that sink in, Cana continued, "You do realize you're staring at him, again."
1. Theme 1: Introduction

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights are reserved to the author Hiro Mashima._

**_A/N: Any feedback is appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read!_**

**Theme 1: Introduction**

"Natsu, this is Akira. Akira ,this is my best friend Natsu. Natsu, Akira. Akira, Natsu."

It was the most ordinary greeting between two strangers and a middle man possible, but Lucy still couldn't shake off the premonition that there was some sort of tension between the two. Had they already been acquainted with each other? Knowing Natsu, he might have gone and destroyed half Akira's town, which would no doubt cause a grudge of some sort. But what was with Natsu?

Scratching his head, Natsu raised an eyebrow inquiring, "So what did you say he was again? Your boyfriend or something?" He poked at her arm incessantly, as if that would produce a faster answer.

_Ah, so that's what he's so concerned about...my relationship with him?_

Lucy laughed and brushed his prodding finger away. "Yeah Natsu, what about it?" Upon hearing her reply, the fire mage's face scrunched up as he grunted a noncommittal "Hmph."

Then again, the look on her latest date's face wasn't so reassuring either. There was suspicion...and something else. "And this...man is your _best_ friend?"

The blonde's hair whipped from side to side as she darted glances nervously between the two men eyeing each other.

What was with all the suspicion?


	2. Theme 2: Complicated

**A/N: Thank you to all those who showed their support! Any feedback is appreciated. **

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights are given to the author, Hiro Mashima. The Rainbow Loom is something that is also not in my possession. _

**Theme 2: Complicated**

_Thwack_. The rubber band snapped and ricocheted off Natsu's face. Frustrated, he glared at the discarded pile of colorful elastic bands, as if it were their fault. But as far as Natsu was concerned, it _was _a defect of the bands.

Lucy gave a small sigh. "Natsu, if you aren't more careful with the rubber bands you'll never be able to win the challenge."

"As if I'd lose to that icy bastard!"

A week ago, Gray had challenged the fire mage to a contest of nimble fingers and skilled weaving: the Rainbow Loom. It was all the rage in the kingdom of Fiore. The product allowed for the creation of various rubber band bracelets and accessories in any colors imaginable, not that it mattered to the rivals. It was only another comparison at who was superior.

Natsu was, surprisingly, cursing his ability of destruction. Frankly, even he himself thought he was pretty bad at this. Why did it have to be so hard? All the specific ordering and fancy looping through the mass of tangled bands. Urgh, so not his thing.

Finally fed up with his constant moaning and huffing, Lucy guided his hand, carefully and successfully wrapping the pink band around the first two pegs; in the process, their fingers tangled together, caught in the elastic trap. Clearing her throat, the spirit mage withdrew her fingers quickly and looked away bashfully. The fire-eater didn't seem to notice anything anomalous about the situation.

"See Natsu? It isn't that hard. You just have to imagine that you're dealing with something delicate and special to you. Like a kitten or something."

She immediately cut him off before his favorite catch-phrase was spoken. "And please Natsu. This is not a battle, so you don't need to go all out on strength here." The blonde gave him a pointed look before continuing her intricate looping.

Something delicate and special to him? Hmm...In his mind, the back a delicate hand edged into his thoughts, the pink Fairy Tail sign dominating the majority of it. Lucy's jovial smile came to mind as well.

_That's right! Lucy! She's my nakama, and someone I could never hurt! She's perfect! Perfect, huh?...Lucy._

Natsu shook his head to clear his mind. Thoughts like _that_ had never come up before. What was wrong with him?


	3. Theme 3: Making History

**_A/N: Thank you to those who read and supported my story, it's greatly appreciated!_**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Shakespeare's masterpiece: Romeo and Juliet_

**Theme 3: Making History**

"O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo..."

Lucy crooned, hands uplifted to the spotlight, acting her part as a star-crossed lover. She was raised in the Heartfilia family for heaven's sake! This was her zone, and she planned to exploit her upbringing to the max. Perhaps her role as Juliet was a bit exaggerated, but she absolutely adored Shakespeare, and it was so romantic. If only Romeo would perform up to par...

Bursting through the bushes and breaking props, Natsu responded. "Weird Juliet have no fear, for Romeo is here!"

The blonde resisted the urge to groan. The audience certainly thought Natsu was _hilarious_, and why he struck them as comedic was beyond her. All throughout the performance she had played not only the part of Juliet, but as well as the epitome of patience. The fire mage was painstakingly testing her by slowly peeling away each layer of Romeo and exposing his own crude nature by spewing utter folly. Mentally cheering herself on, the vexed mage struggled to deliver a comeback.

Releasing a peal of rather forced laughter, Lucy grasped at the withering mood of passion the fire mage had shredded with nine simple words. She floundered for something to say. "Oh, silly Romeo, um...that's one of the things you love about me..."

"Love? Why would I love you?" The dumbfounded look, paired with his immediate response, only added to the effect.

There was another wave of laughter from the audience.

A hand suddenly jerked the blonde back from the balcony. Emerging from the shadows, Erza took Lucy's position.

With a wide stance and pointed finger, the redhead tripped through her lines. "Y-you d-d-d-dare court my daughter? T-this is a v-v-violations of our feud!" On the last word, her voice rose an octave.

Natsu fervently denied the accusation. "Court? What do you mean court? There's nothing going on between us!"

"N-nons-sense! Y-your moxie f-f-or d-d-defiance is..." There was some nondescript mumbling until Lucy jabbed the nerve-wracked mage's armor as lady-like as possible.

The redhead plowed through her lines. "Clearly, you a-are eng-gaging..." She fainted. Staggering about wildly, her erratic footsteps brought her teetering over the balustrade. The auditorium seemed to gasp as everyone in it held their breath in synchronization.

"I got you!" The fire-eater deftly caught the falling mage with a thud. Upon contact, Erza sprang up and reflexively propelled herself out of Natsu's arms.

Sword in hand, armor assembled, Erza slashed out in the general direction of pink hair. Seeming to forget her stage persona, she roared, "Unhand me foe! Don't you dare touch me! You want a fight? Come at me!"

"Hehe." The fire-eater pounced.

"Uh, um...Father! Romeo! There's no need to fight on my behalf! Can't we just settle this peacefully?" Lucy completely disregarded, or was completely oblivious to, the genuine violence between the two. Seeing that the duo had no intention to stop the spar, the blonde decided to take matters into her own hands. Shouting and frantically gesticulating, the spirit mage even went so far as to feel for her missing keys, which were lumped together with her street clothes.

Beyond the curtains, and in the shadows, the theater manager, Rabian, cackled with glee. Though the troupe had Shakespeare rolling in his grave, the sudden turn of events could prove lucrative if the plot congealed.

Into the microphone he spoke, and out came the manager's interpretation of the current circumstances. "Ah yes, it all comes to the contest of brute strength. What a fearsome battle this has become!" He continued to narrate the events, though rather burlesque, it caused quite an uproar among the crowd.

"Swords clashing, coagulated blood as a second coat, shall lineage or amour prevail? The delicate Juliet watches in horror as the two men in her life sap each other's strength. Her kindred soul can not bear to watch! But wait! She extends her arms in beseechment, rivers gathering into waterfalls at her lashes. Will the men stop? No! Their duel continues as the maiden's pleads become more and more desperate, but becoming a mere insect's buzz in the gladiators' ears."

A sudden gasp interrupted his soliloquy. "She tumbles, oh how she falls. Unable to bear the bloodshed, the lady throws herself off the balcony, or perhaps she slipped. But nevertheless, the gravity of the situation, no pun intended, could cost the fair Juliet's life!"

At that, the clamor of combat ceased immediately and was replaced with pounding strides.

Armor-clad arms reached to catch the damsel and swoop her up. An inch short, Erza misses and Lucy lands into the clutches of emptiness. With bated breaths and tense postures, the witnesses all watch the ramifications of battle in horror.

"Rubenesque hips collide with her lover's muscular arms. An ample bosom nestled to his chest...Success! At the last moment, Romeo saves Juliet as she slips through her father's fingers!" The narrator's somewhat flawed, but thorough announcement, brought a blush to Lucy's cheeks.

The blonde whimpered softly. "He didn't have to describe it that way..."

Gently deposited to the ground, Natsu quickly attended to his priority: the fight. He rushed over to Erza and continued the challenge.

With an indignant harrumph, the rescued maiden crossed her arms as her savior hurried away from her without another word. Although...she was grateful, after all he had just saved her life. Fine, maybe it wasn't that extreme, but Natsu did get her out of a week in the hospital...and the medical bill. _Note to self, thank him appropriately later. _

Sighing, she dusted off her skirts and presumably went over to stop another scuffle. But there was no need; the problem was resolved.

Slapping him on the back, Erza chuckled nervously. She was back to her stage persona. "Y-you have rescued m-my daughter! T-t-therefore, this v-v-vendetta is over! O-our family's h-history c-ca-can be written anew! " The red-head's features morphed into her natural smile and character. "You have my sincere thanks. My weakness prevented me from saving a loved one." She strode off stage proclaiming, "I must continue my training. Until next time...I will not be defeated again!"

Natsu ran after her. "Wait for me! We still haven't finished our fight yet!"

Left alone in the spotlight, Lucy cleared her throat nervously. "Uh...the end? I hope you enjoyed it?"

The silence was suffocating. And then came the thunder. Whistles and screams, claps and proclamations of idolization. It was all there.

A dexterous mayor pulled himself up on stage, dismissing the blonde to behind the curtains.

Several long minutes of cheers and placating gestures of silence later, the mayor shouted for attention. "I hereby award this play the best of the decade! A play originally finalizing with death and tears, this wonderful interpretation was anodyne for the rather depressing themes in the original's conclusion. Splendid! This shall go down in our town's history books, yessiree! Now before I go into a long-winded speech..."

The frightened audience stampeded toward the auditorium doors, abandoning the mayor. Apparently, the town leader's speech skills were certainly a quality to be duly archived as well, that is to say as Best Speech to Put You to Sleep.

Backstage was a certain mage's assault.

Skeleton vibrating, Natsu feebly pushed the grateful blonde and manager away, with no success. From the right was finger crushing and arm jolting in a monstrous handshake, while the other squeezed his torso in a strong hug.

Enunciating to the rhythm of his handshake, Rabian enthusiastically repeated "You brought my theater success! If you didn't catch her, my business would have gone bankrupt! Thank you very much! Thank you very much!..." before letting go and expressing his thanks to a smug Erza. And then there were two...

Cheeks stained pink in an embrace, tickling whispers reached each other's ears.

"Thank you..."

"Any time..."

* * *

**A/N: Longest chapter so far! I hope you enjoyed it and reviews are love!**


	4. Theme 4: Rivalry

**A/N: Thank you so much for supporting this story! Any feedback at all would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the chapter. Feedback is love!**

**Theme 4: Rivalry**

His flirtatious greeting never failed to meet her ears. With a leering smile, Loke lowered his glasses and gave Lucy the classic, and routine, "hey babe, wanna go out with me" look.

She could only roll her eyes. The lion spirit just wasn't her type.

He continued his playful advances, which to outsiders may have seemed genuine. The blonde had long since gotten used to his antics, and ignored him as usual.

**XOXOX**

Natsu eyed his friend and the celestial spirit with a heated glare. Watching the lion hit on Lucy was strangely irritating. He didn't know why...perhaps it was because of the color clash of their hair, but those were the hues of fire...which he loved. So that was out of the question. The angry grooves in the fire-eater's eyebrows deepened.

Holy son of a...! Was his hand on her chest? And she wasn't doing anything! The fire mage was fuming, billows of smoke streaming from his ears and nostrils. He was Mount Vesuvius, and the magma was about to overflow...

**XOXOX**

"Oi! What are you doing, player? Get your filthy hands off her!"

Loke looked at him as if he had a few screws loose. "Um...Natsu? I'm not...exactly...touching her..."

"You bastard! Don't lie to me! I clearly saw you pawing at her assets! Don't play dumb."

Sitting calmly on the Loke's opposite side, Lucy interjected calmly while flipping the page of her magazine.

"Natsu, there is nothing going on between us, and that is final. Now could you please calm down?"

He gaped at her in disbelief. "Calm down? Calm down! You're telling me to calm down? He touched your...well...you know! How can you not get mad?"

She threw the magazine down on the table. "He didn't! I have no idea what the heck you saw, but clearly, you need to get your vision checked."

"My vision is perfectly fine, thank you very much! It's _you_ who needs to get your touch receptors checked!"

"Excuse me?"

Loke, who was watching their argument in bewilderment, finally stood up and decided to mitigate the situation. "Look guys...could you not? It was obviously a misunderstanding, so can we all just...let it go now?"

In a Unison Raid of shout and protest, the fire and spirit mage launched their attack of denial: "No!"

In an instant, the lion spirit's shirt crumpled beneath Natsu's hardened fingers. Leaning in so that salmon pink met the lion's mane of orange, the fire-eater whispered, "Look here, if you _ever_ do that again..."

"Alright, alright!"

Then bam, his cheekbone was throbbing in agony, each pulse sending whines to his body's control center: the brain. Unfortunately, that control center just shut down, and the lion spirit was acting on pure instinct now.

He drew his leg back and snapped it forward, leather shoes were introduced to a toned abdomen. Soon fire pranced about the animal king, exchanging blows, limbs greeting body parts in a series of attacks and blocks.

Lucy had seen enough.

"Natsu!" Her murderous one snapped both right out of their fighting frenzy. "What's wrong with you?"

"What?! This is all normal. Scuffles and fights. Why are you so against this? Do you _like_ Loke?"

Lucy groaned. "No Natsu, I don't like Loke in _that_ way."

"Fine. So why was his hand on your _chest_?"

She looked appalled. "Excuse me!? What are you talking about? His hand was absolutely _not_ there! I have no idea what you saw!"

"Okay..." He still looked skeptical. "So what's your issue with our fight? You should butt out of a man's business"

Fed up with his denial, the blonde snapped. "Ugh! He's your nakama and you're beating him senseless! When have you ever been this sadistic? Did you enjoy hearing him cry out in pain? You would never go this far, even with Gray. You defeated him Natsu, and yet you kept striking. I don't know if I..." She turned and barged through the guild doors out onto the street.

The fire mage sighed. She was right; he had went way past the boundaries of victory to the desolated territory of cruelty. What had gotten into him?

Unnoticed by the quarreling pair, the lion spirit sat watching in dumbfounded awe. They didn't know a thing. It was all so obvious now, how could anyone not see it? Those blockheads...


	5. Theme 5: Unbreakable

**A/N: Happy Valentine's Day! Sorry about the long wait...I truly am! But nonetheless, thank you so much for all the support! I hope you enjoy the chapter, and thank you for reading.**

**Theme 5: Unbreakable**

Cardboard ripped and was cast aside, wrapping paper crumpled and torn, and then Lucy was in heaven.

Finally, it had come: the coveted Heart Kreuz perfume she had spent two months rent on. Yes, _perfume_...it was worth 140,000 jewel. To a woman as feminine as she, the blonde thought it was absolutely worth it, especially since the company proclaimed the elegant bottle was indestructible. Besides, that specific brand of fragrance had already been rebated on account of her almost royal status and consistent shopping of Heart Kreuz's products.

Lucy had always dreamed of being able to carry around a perfume without having to worry about the delicate containers breaking in the midst of their wild adventures, which left her smelly and disgusted. Being odor-free and aromatic was a must-have for a girl like her. Besides...then Natsu wouldn't be able to destroy it when he came and rifled through all her possessions, knocking them to their doom on the ground.

"Lucy!" Well speak of the devil. Natsu's masculine timbre shouted from her door as he kicked her door in. "Let's go do something fun, I'm bored!"

She waved him off with a small nod of acknowledgement. "Sure, sure. A bit later..."

The blonde continued to peer at the bottle's deceiving facade.

_Could this dainty container really stop the force of a raging dragon? _Clearly, Lucy doubted the product's dependability after seeing it in person. She would just have to pray that it would pull through.

There was a constant question that had always festered away in the back of her mind. Why...

"Why do you come over all the time anyways?" The inquiry had just popped out, no hint, no forewarning whatsoever. But she wasn't the only one caught off guard.

"Uhh..." The dragon slayer was at a loss for words. Sure, he enjoyed her company, but coming to her apartment always gave him this little flutter. Ever since Igneel had disappeared, there had been a hole in his heart; though after hours, days, and then years pushed the burning feeling of loneliness further away from consciousness, it never completely disappeared.

At times he would just sit at home feeling like something was off and aloof, like the place he currently resided in was simply a house, and didn't have the spirit of a home. The only way he could fix that was by fleeing from the intruding cold in his heart and seek refuge in Lucy's abode. There was no way he could ever put into words the warm little tickle he always felt. He didn't even quite know what it was himself.

Somewhat bashfully waving off her question, he answered with a vague "Oh, it's nothing. I really don't know either..."

Natsu was let off with a strange look and nothing else.

Slowly backing away to avoid any other inexplicable answers for unexpected questions, Natsu accelerated into a sprint. After a few flying paces and glances behind the shoulder, the escapee's stomach came into contact with a hard surface.

_Holy Mavis..._ He was screwed. It was almost expected that the fire mage would somehow just magically manage to collide with the blonde's most precious possession in her home: the vanity table. Just as it was fated to be, the perfume bottle's hardiness was to be put to the test, and it might as well be now.

Adhering to the beckoning of gravity, the small bottle came plummeting down. The room was suspended in bated breath as Heart Kreuz's credibility and a woman's money was at stake.

5...4...3..2..1...touch down.

The tension was gone...

...but replaced with a crestfallen disappointment.

Heart Kreuz had failed to uphold their end of the promise, and Lucy's hard-earned money evaporated into the purgatory of all wasted money. All that remained was glass shards and splinters, glimmering here and there like the advancing waterworks. And true to the symptoms of a choked up throat and onslaughts of distress, the tears finally did spill over.

Oh boy was he in for it.

But the yelling never came.

"Lucy?..." He saw her attachment for the now-shattered object in her eyes. The gleaming veneration was blatant from the moment he had walked in. And he had gone and broke it. How was she ever going to forgive him now?

"I-I'm really...deeply...sorry." The last word came out as a dull thunk, as if it knew it was worthless and all hope had been vaporized, with only a shell of an apology remaining.

"Do you...hate...me?" Hate. Hate...that was probably the only thing Lucy was feeling now. Grief clawed its way up the fire mage's throat when the prospect of being in Lucy's bad graces came to mind. He refused to let the tears fall. And yet the girl still remained silent.

There was a moment's pause.

Brushing away her tears that came packaged the sliver of resentment, Lucy could only laugh. There was nothing at all to be the slightest bit angry about. Natsu wasn't to blame. The only ones at fault here were the Heart Kreuz manufacturers.

She patted his shoulder in consolation. If only that simple touch could reveal the churning storm from within. "Oh, Natsu. I could never hate you for something as trivial as that. Your companionship means so much more than some silly fragrance."

Lucy pulled a shocked fire mage into a warm embrace, full of forgiveness and overflowing with affection.

Slowly, his teeth peeked out as if checking the weather. The storm had passed, and his lips stretched into wide grin as he settled himself comfortably into her arms. It all suddenly became clear. The warmth he always felt here, because it was like home. In a way, Lucy had slowly edged her way into the Igneel's position as guardian. His beloved fire-breathing friend would always be on his mind, but Lucy was his foundation now.

She was his base, his support, his cornerstone. With Lucy, Natsu had found a place he could once again truly call home.


	6. Theme 6: Obsession

**A/N: Thank you for taking the time to read. I hope you enjoy the chapter! Feedback is always appreciated.**

**Theme 6: Obsession**

Lucy couldn't help but stare when the smooth surface of muscle rippled as he stood. To say Natsu was cute, was a drastic understatement. Sure he had his quirks, but he was one sweet hunk of eye candy.

Little by little, a habit had formed. She had never really noticed it until someone else had pointed it out.

**XOXOX**

"Lucy...Luuucy!" Cana's frantic hand blurred the blonde's vision.

"Wai-wh-what? What just happened?"

It had happened again, one of those moments where you just zone out, but...Lucy's mind wasn't completely blank. Up until now, she had never really found muscles that appealing, until she joined Fairy Tail, where sinew and brawn ran rampant. Now, she just couldn't look at a scrawny guy without wincing.

"So..." the tipsy maiden leaned in close, oozing sexual innuendo, and carrying a complacent countenance, "I see that glazed look in your eyes Lucy." After a moment of letting that sink in, Cana continued, "You do realize you're staring at him, _again_."

"Who?" Lucy hadn't even realized she was staring. One moment she was eating, the next moment she was...oh...drooling over Natsu's washboard abs. She slammed her face into the table. What had gotten into her?

"Oh Mavis. Cana, what's a girl supposed to do?"

Chuckling, the alcoholic took another swig with a wink. "Well, if you ask me. _Go for it_. I know you want it. And he wouldn't have a clue what was going on." Her eyebrows were now jiving wildly to the beat of salacious whispers.

"Caaana. Do not _ever_ say that again. Ever." Her friend's lewdness never ceased to amaze. If she kept it up, the rumor mill would be stirring up all sorts of trouble. Something had to be done about Cana's big mouth.

However, Lucy had another matter on her hands. What was she going to do about her staring penchant?

**XOXOX**

"Eh...Lucy? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Her face flamed, as she found herself transfixed, yet again, on the fire mage's languid, muscle-powered movements. He stared down at his own, toned abdomen.

"You looking at this?" A smirk was prowling onto his face.

Lucy's cheeks deepened to a crimson. No way...he seriously did not just acknowledge his own allure. No doubt about it, he was gorgeous. But to get cocky about it too? The teasing would never terminate.

The smirk pounced, but the smile escaped and bubbled into laughter. "Ah, Lucy. You're so funny! It's just a stomach! Ahaha..." He continued laughing.

"Oh..." So _that's_ what that smile was all about. She couldn't believe that she had doubted Natsu's complete ignorance for even the slightest of moments. It would be best to keep that little tidbit a secret from him for now. If he thought that she was lusting after him...Lucy shuddered. It would have been her apocalypse. Their whole friendship would have collapsed right there and then.

Okay, so she admitted it: Natsu was a total hottie, but to say that she was interested in simply masculine brawn was yet another understatement. It was an obsession, a need, _for him_.


End file.
